11 Jul ARTIST INTERVIEW: LAURIE ADAMSON AT SANCTUARY FARMS

ARTIST INTERVIEW: LAURIE ADAMSON AT SANCTUARY FARMS
If you’d walked through the City Gallery since July 1st, have you heard anything extraordinary whispering to you? Laurie Adamson hopes you have.

Her solo show is on display in the gallery space and she insists that she wants her art to touch people in a way that is both fluid and in the moment.

“I like [my art] to be alive. I want it to be on your wall and it gives something to you, every time you walk by it. I want it to be alive, moving and whatever you need.”

Her work is modern, fluid visual art created by pouring several paints over a canvas and manipulating them with a variety of tools. While there are thousands of people who have adopted this style of painting as a fun—albeit sometimes messy—hobby, Adamson’s work has an attention to detail and thoughtful color composition that sets her work apart from the crowd.

“It’s a sacred process. It’s a long process. I see something, I visualize something or maybe I get a thought or I get an idea. I love to read about past artists, about nature. Maybe I’ll read something or see something and really connect with it. I’ll see colors together, love it and take it from there. I really like to think about it, write my colors down and think on it.”

She went on to describe that each piece is bespoke, many times created on hand-stretched canvas and displayed in hand-tooled frames using reclaimed materials.

While each visual art piece is unique, so is Adamson’s jewelry and leatherwork. There are more than 35 pieces in the curated exhibit currently at the City Gallery and three of these pieces are wearable works of art.

Her inspiration with nature shines through brightest in her jewelry and leatherwork. Her pieces are created from natural materials and gems that she sources locally when possible, and from artisans like herself.

“While my mom was sick—she passed away almost two years ago—I started making jewelry. I love stones and nature. […] There’s nothing more empowering than to wear something from the Earth.”

There is currently one of Adamson’s bespoke necklaces in the show, Blue Moon, that is made with turquoise, jet beads and copper. She said that each piece of wearable art she creates—including her leather medicine bags and seed bags—comes with a certificate of authenticity, guaranteeing uniqueness.

To complete her triple-threat powers, Adamson is also a gifted photographer. She has half a dozen photographs hanging in the exhibit that include scenes from her farm and pictures of several of her beloved pets, including a horse that, coincidentally, bears her same initials, LA.

No matter what medium, Adamson wants to convey a message to people who interact with her work.

“There’s so much hurt in the world. [I hope] someone can see my work and it can convey to them that they are special, they are worthy and they mean something. I hope they can receive from it what they need.”